Islamic socialism
Islamic socialism is a term coined by various Muslim leaders to describe a more spiritual form of socialism. Muslim socialists believe that the teachings of the Qur'an and Muhammad — especially zakāt — are compatible with principles of economic and social equality. They draw inspiration from the early Medinan welfare state established by Muhammad. Muslim socialists are generally not as socially liberal as their western counterparts. Like Christian democrats, Muslim socialists found their roots in anti-imperialism. Muslim socialist leaders believe in democracy and the derivation of legitimacy from the public, as opposed to Islamic religious texts or claims to be Muhammad's successors. Overview Islamic socialism is a term coined by various Muslim leaders to meet the demand for a more spiritual form of socialism. Muslim socialists believe that the teachings of the Qur'an and Muhammad are compatible with principles of equality and the redistribution of wealth. Some orthodox Islamic scholars declare various socialist practices, such as the confiscation of private property, to be oppressive and against Islamic teachings. History Abū Dharr al-Ghifārī, a Companion of Prophet Muḥammad, is credited by many as the founder of Islamic socialism. He protested against the accumulation of wealth by the ruling class during ‘Uthmān's caliphate and urged the equitable redistribution of wealth. There exist a number of parallels between Islamic economics and communism, including the Islamic ideas of zakat and riba.Bernard Lewis (1954), "Communism and Islam", International Affairs (Royal Institute of International Affairs 1944-) 30 (1), p. 1-12. Islamic welfare state The concepts of welfare and pension were introduced in early Islamic law as forms of Zakat (charity), one of the Five Pillars of Islam, under the Rashidun Caliphate in the 7th century. This practiced continued well into the Abbasid era of the Caliphate. The taxes (including Zakat and Jizya) collected in the treasury of an Islamic government were used to provide income for the needy, including the poor, elderly, orphans, widows, and the disabled. According to the Islamic jurist Al-Ghazali (Algazel, 1058–1111), the government was also expected to stockpile food supplies in every region in case a disaster or famine occurred. The Caliphate can thus be considered the world's first major welfare state. (see online) Among the many welfare programs established by Caliph Umar ibn al-Khattab, these included government welfare grants distributed to the needy without any services in return. For example, he established a special grant for the nursing of babies, providing 100 dirhams (silver coins) per child per year. http://monzer.kahf.com/books/english/early_public_revenues_system.pdf#page=20 Modern Islamic socialism The first experimental Islamic commune was established during the Russian Revolution of 1917 as part of the Wäisi movement, an early supporter of the Soviet government. The Muslim Socialist Committee of Kazan was also active at this time. Gaddafi's version In the early 1970s, Muammar Gaddafi, published his 'Islamic Socialism,' his version, fusing Islam, Arabism and Socialism, in the 'Green Book.'John L. Esposito, "The Islamic Threat: Myth Or Reality?" Oxford University Press, Oct 7, 1999, Political Science, 352 pp., pp. 77-78.John L. Espósito, "The Islamic threat: myth or reality?," Oxford University Press, Sep 9, 1993, 247 pp., pp. 80-82 Heavily influenced by pan-Arab Egyptian leader, G. Abdul Nasser, the Green Book, was published in three parts (1975, 1977, 1978)."Socialism Islamic, WWH It served as the basis for the Islamic Legion."US Officials Regard Chad Conflict As Big Test Of Wills With Khadafy." Gainesville Sun, August 19, 1983. New York Times News Service Gaddafi's former mercenaries backed Uganda's Islamic dictator Idi Amin, and later on pushed a racist Arabist ideology in Sudan.The Islamic Legion. Gaddafi's former Mercenaries. It has been alleged that Charles Taylor received military training in Libya,BBC News - "Charles Taylor: Godfather or peacemaker?," BBC, Mar 11, 2011 under Ibrahim Bah, a Senegalese national, ex-Hezbollah, and Sierra Leone's RUF's General.[http://books.google.com/books?id=RKEwJINrofgC&pg=PT137&lpg=PT13 Douglas Farah, Stephen Braun, "Merchant of Death: Money, Guns, Planes, and the Man Who Makes War Possible," John Wiley & Sons, Apr 14, 2008, 320 pp.] The RUF was influenced by Libyan leader Colonel Mu'ammar al-Qadhaff's amalgam of socialist-Islamic philosophies.Raymond D. Gastil, "Freedom in the World: The Annual Survey of Political Rights & Civil Liberties 1997-1998," Transaction Publishers, Jan 1, 1997, 610 pp., p. 453 List of notable Muslim socialists Other notable Muslim socialists include: * Abū Dharr al-Ghifārī, a Companion of Prophet Muḥammad * Jamal al-Din Afghani, one of the founders of Islamic modernism * Rafi Ahmed Kidwai, Indian politician and cabinet minister from 1947-1954 * Haji Misbach, Indonesian nationalist and anti-Dutch preacher of "Islamic Communism" * Khalid Muhammad Khalid, mid-20th-century Egyptian political and social reformer * Jalal Al-e Ahmad, Iranian social and political critic * Gamal Abdel Nasser * Siad Barre * Chaudhry Rehmat Ali * Molana Hasrat Mohani * Yasser Arafat * Ahmed Jibril * Khalid ibn al-Walid * Mohammed Iqbal * Faiz Ahmed Faiz * Habib Jalib * Ibn-e-Insha * Sadat Hassan Manto * Hanif Ramay * Zulfikar Ali Bhutto * Ali Shariati Islamic Marxism Islamic Marxism is a term that has been used to describe Ali Shariati (in Shariati and Marx: A Critique of an "Islamic" Critique of Marxism by Assef Bayat). It is also sometimes used in discussions of the 1979 Iranian revolution, including parties such as the Mojahedin-e-Khalq Organization.About So-Called Islamic Marxism See also *Islamic economic jurisprudence **Islamic economics in the world **Islamic capitalism *Islamic democracy *Islamic ethics *Zanj Rebellion *Qarmatians *Arab Socialism *The Green Book *National communism Footnotes References * External links *"Marxism and Islam" in Oxford Islamic Studies Online * Pakistan: Impact of Islamic Socialism, Bidanda M. Chengappa * , Senior Research Fellow, IDSA, in Strategic Analysis: A Monthly Journal of the IDSA Jan-Mar 2002 (Vol. XXVI No. 1). Reproduced by the Columbia International Affairs Online (CIAO). (subscription needed) * Iqbal and the Concept of Islamic Socialism, Kazi Publications * Islam & socialism, SocialismToday - Socialist Party magazine * Islam and the Moral Economy - The Challenge of Capitalism, Catalogue, Cambridge University Press * The Revolutionary Surge and the Quiet Demise of Islamic Economics in Iran, Sohrab Behdad * The Bolsheviks and Islam, Workers Liberty, 25 February, 2004 - 01:27 * Libya - THE MILITARY LEADERSHIP * Imamate - Part I - General Meaning, islam.org * The Proof of Prophethood - Part Two, COMMUNISM AND COMMUNISTS' ENMITY AGAINST RELIGION Socialism Category:Socialism